The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for providing purified ice pieces and purified liquid water from a source of unpurified liquid water, and the incorporation of such method and apparatus into a domestic refrigerator, while using the same compressor, condenser, evaporator and insulated cabinet for both the icemaker/water purifier system and the domestic refrigerator.
In my U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/864,781 I disclose a method and apparatus for forming purified ice pieces from unpurified water such as tap water. The ice pieces are periodically harvested and collected in a bin, the bottom of which is heated as necessary to melt desired quantities of the ice to provide a supply of purified water. In the embodiment disclosed in FIG. 4 of my aforementioned patent application, a finned heat conductor block is used to conduct heat from an ice-making surface to the sub-freezing air in a freezer space.
In the present invention, the evaporator cooling the subfreezing air in the freezer space is placed in direct mechanical contact with the ice making surface.